Innovation must be Coupled with Transformation
| Innovation is exciting and fun and let's us explore so many options we may have never thought of or we did think of but never seemed to get them implemented. Now that companies are chanting Innovation regularly at meetings, we need to come together to create best practices that will ensure success. As we discussed during the Innovation Share Group Meeting in Miami, every company has a unique set of challenges or is at a different stage with adopting an innovation strategy. We all agree that for innovation's impacts to be widespread and beneficial, it must be woven into the everyday workings of the enterprise. To be truly effective, innovation must be coupled with transformation, so that innovative ideas have the chance to be evaluated, tested, and effectively implemented. Innovation must be both channeled and managed, so that the best ideas address the enterprise's most pressing business problems. And innovation must be recognized and rewarded, to create the positive feedback loop that ensures innovation is not just a one-time burst of creativity but an ongoing process. This leads us to the realities of change management including generating momentum and excitement for adopting new ways of thinking and solving problems. And, how do we answer the common questions that accompany an innovation agenda such as: How do we generate enough ideas? Which ideas should we implement? Which ideas do we need to table? How do we ensure that ideas lead to inferences and then to relevant ideas? The answer becomes obvious -- you need a clearly articulated, goal-oriented plan supported by a sound process. For example, if your goal is to encourage people to think differently and suggest ideas you will require a method for culling those ideas and filtering them. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is certainly easier said than done. Because each company has a unique culture already in tact your team must decide what types of incentives and programs will compliment your company's strengths as you create a plan. As one member said, the goal is to figure out how to get people to think differently but you can only do so when you discover what incentivizes them. Your analysis will help define the process for a successful plan. With this in mind, we've created the attached white paper titled "Creating a Culture of Innovation: 10 Steps to Transform the Consumer Goods Enterprise" along with CGT Magazine to give you a jump start or to help you achieve the next milestone in an existing program. We also developed the attached presentation in an effort to bring the white paper to life with guidelines, frameworks, and a few real life examples. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with the ISG and we look forward to working with you on future initiatives. |
